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Nov 19, 2010kwsmith rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
The German philosopher Nietzsche introduced the idea of "eternal recurrence" (everything that happens will continue to happen over and over again). If Nietzsche's "eternal recurrence" is not true, then our actions in this world might be considered to have little meaning since they are but fleeting moments against the backdrop of eternity. In this novel, Kundera reject Nietzsche's "eternal recurrence" and thus explores an intriguing paradox: our human lives are inconsequential (what he calls "lightness") and yet "unbearable" because we want our lives to have genuine significance. Love and sex play important roles in Kundera's novel, illustrating how some of the most powerful human experiences are fleeting and result from simple coincidences.